The Facebook subcontract in Barcelona offers 250 voluntary reductions within the adjustment plan

The Facebook subcontractor that controls the content of the social network from the Torre de Agbar in Barcelona has reached a preliminary agreement with the works council to offer a maximum of 250 incentivized withdrawals within the adjustment plan, the unions have explained.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
10 March 2023 Friday 12:26
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The Facebook subcontract in Barcelona offers 250 voluntary reductions within the adjustment plan

The Facebook subcontractor that controls the content of the social network from the Torre de Agbar in Barcelona has reached a preliminary agreement with the works council to offer a maximum of 250 incentivized withdrawals within the adjustment plan, the unions have explained. Sources consulted estimate that it is very possible that the 250 casualties will be covered voluntarily. Many workers are foreigners and prefer to opt for another job instead of spending several months with a suspended contract.

If volunteers appear to leave the company, the number of those affected by the ERTE (temporary employment regulation file) would be reduced, which remains at 680 people. They are almost a third of the company's workforce in the Catalan capital.

The subcontractor is called CCC, although it was acquired by the Canadian Telus. Facebook landed in Barcelona in 2018 with half a thousand workers who occupied eight floors of the iconic Catalan building.

The adjustment process comes after the company was sanctioned by the Labor Inspectorate of the Generalitat for not complying with the law for the prevention of psychosocial risks. A worker who was continually viewing violent images suffered from health problems. A Telus spokesperson has assured that the sanction and the ERTE are not related or connected. "Telus strongly challenged the findings of the case and appealed the ruling in court," the spokesperson added.

The downsizing at Facebook's outsourcing in Barcelona comes at the same time that job cuts are taking place at technology companies around the world. In this case, some workers argue that the company offers similar positions in other parts of the world.

The proposal agreed upon by the company and the unions provides for severance pay of 23 days per year worked. Regarding the ERTE, Telus has agreed to reduce its duration to nine months. The committee has also managed to get the company to agree to supplement with 340 euros per month what unemployment workers receive when they enter the ERTE.